Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
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Many studies have shown differences in cardiac care by racial/ethnic groups without accounting for institutional factors at the location of care. ⋯ Significant differences in triage for patients with suspected ACS exist between public and private hospital EDs, even after adjustment for multiple patient demographic, clinical, and institutional factors. Further studies are needed to clarify the causes of the differences.
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Proliferative lupus nephritis (PLN) is characterized by increased expression of inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS). Inhibition of iNOS with NG-monomethyl L-arginine (L-NMMA) abrogates renal disease in two models of murine PLN, but the mechanism of this effect is unknown. Reactive oxygen species have both direct and indirect pathogenic effects in inflammatory lesions and are therefore potentially an important therapeutic target in PLN. We hypothesized that inhibition of iNOS activity would reduce ROS production in murine PLN. ⋯ These findings suggest that iNOS activity is a major source of reactive oxidant stress in these models of murine PLN. Future studies will address the pathogenic role of reactive oxygen stress in PLN.
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Adenovirus is a common infectious pathogen in both children and adults. It is a significant cause of morbidity in immunocompetent people living in crowded living conditions and of mortality in immunocompromised hosts. ⋯ The initial innate immune response is associated with the severe acute manifestations of adenovirus infection and also plays a significant role in acute toxicity owing to adenovirus vector exposure. This review discusses the innate immune response primarily during wild-type adenovirus infection because this serves as the basis for understanding the response during both natural infection and exposure to adenovirus vectors.
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Over the last two decades, pharmaceutical intervention for the treatment of type 2 diabetes has expanded. Studies over this same time demonstrated the benefits of tight glycemic control. Unfortunately, despite the availability of novel therapies, glycemic control remains problematic. Nonpharmacologic interventions need to be explored, including patient empowerment. Improving patient knowledge of diabetes may ultimately improve glycemic control. To test this hypothesis, we compared patients' diabetes knowledge with their glycemic control. ⋯ These results demonstrate that an inverse linear relationship exists between performance on this diabetes test and HbA1c values. Improvement in patient knowledge of diabetes and the importance of treatment may indeed improve glycemic control and ultimately decrease complications. Studies aimed at empowering patients with disease knowledge may help control the ramifications of the growing diabetes epidemic.